Quebec government computer networks affected by widespread Microsoft cyberattack

Computer networks in the Quebec government are being affected by a massive cyberattack targeting widely-used Microsoft software, the province confirmed.

The tech company issued an alert to its customers of the SharePoint software on Saturday, warning of a zero-day exploit being used to carry out attacks. The software is used by clients around the world, including government agencies and businesses, for internal document sharing and collaboration.

Quebec’s Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital Technology said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that it took immediate action and is conducting an investigation into the vulnerability.

“This vulnerability affects the systems of several governments and companies, including certain Quebec government departments and agencies,” the ministry said.

As a result, various Quebec public administration websites may be shut down Tuesday as a preventive measure in order to apply “fixes and mitigation measures.”

The website for Retraite Québec displayed a notice on Tuesday, telling clients that it was “currently experiencing difficulties,” though it was not immediately clear if the issue was related to the Microsoft vulnerability.

The ministry said it is working to ensure that appropriate solutions are implemented to limit the impact to online users.

Microsoft has issued an emergency fix to close the vulnerability for SharePoint Server 2019 and SharePoint Server Subscription Edition.

The Associated Press reported that security researchers warned that the exploit is a serious one and can allow actors to fully access SharePoint file systems, including services connected to SharePoint, such as Teams and OneDrive.

With files from The Associated Press